Sammy Long Named Giants Starter On Friday

The San Francisco Giants have named left-hander Sammy Long the team's starting pitcher for Friday's game against the Washington Nationals. The 26-year-old has made three appearances so far this year, all coming in relief. He's pitched a total of 2.2 innings, allowing one walk, no hits and no runs while striking out three. He made […]

Bullpens to Cause Headaches in Fantasy Baseball

Collecting saves is a tricky and dangerous game in fantasy baseball. One of the major pitching categories in 5x5 roto leagues, they are hard to completely ignore. If you don't have a collection of high-end closers, it's easy to start digging into every team in the league to figure out who is going to get […]

Drew VerHagen Suffers Hip Injury On Thursday

St. Louis Cardinals right-handed pitcher Drew VerHagen (hip) was removed from Thursday's game against the Miami Marlins after sustaining a hip injury. He was originally lined up to pitched multiple innings on Thursday, working behind starter Jordan Hicks, but the injury limited him to just one inning. VerHagen signed a two-year deal with the Cardinals […]

Jordan Hicks Lasts Three Frames In First Start

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jordan Hicks gave up one run over three innings in his first start of the season on Thursday as his club fell to the Marlins 5-0. The right-hander walked two and struck out three in the 46-pitch effort, allowing two hits and his lone run to come around on a fielder's […]

Chris Stratton Collects First Save For Pirates

Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Chris Stratton pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning on Thursday to collect his first save of the season in his club's 4-3 win over the Cubs. The right-hander picked up one strikeout in the 11-pitch outing as he worked behind David Bednar who retired four consecutive batters of his own to earn his […]

Greg Holland Clears Waivers, Becomes A Free Agent

Former Texas Rangers pitcher Greg Holland cleared waivers and declined an outright assignment to become a free agent Thursday. He was designated for assignment Tuesday by the Rangers and will now look to latch onto another team. The 36-year-old signed a minor-league deal with Texas during the offseason and made the team's Opening Day roster. […]

Mark Melancon Notches Second Save Thursday

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Mark Melancon allowed two hits while striking out none across a scoreless inning to earn the save in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals. In the ninth inning, he entered the game to protect a one-run lead and tossed a scoreless inning to earn his second save of the year. The […]

Dany Jimenez Secures His Second Save Thursday

Oakland Athletics pitcher Dany Jimenez struck out two over a scoreless inning to secure the save in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles. In the ninth inning, he entered the game to protect a two-run lead and threw a perfect frame to notch his second save of the year. Oakland's primary closer Lou Trivino […]

Emilio Pagan Locks Down His First Save On Thursday

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Emilio Pagan closed out the team's 1-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday to earn his first save of the year. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning, allowing one walk and no hits. The Twins, who are now 5-8 on the year, hadn't had a save opportunity arise before […]

Jordan Romano Records His Seventh Save

Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano took over for starter Kevin Gausman in the ninth inning of Thursday's game against the Boston Red Sox. He had a bit of a rocky inning as he allowed one hit, one walk and one earned run, but he managed to maintain the team's lead and lock down his […]

Emmanuel Clase Records Second Straight Save

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase closed out the team's 6-3 win over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning, retiring all three batters he faced without recording a strikeout. This was his second save on the season. His first save came just a day earlier during the team's 2-1 victory […]

Hunter Harvey Lands On 10-Day Injured List

The Washington Nationals have placed relief pitcher Hunter Harvey (forearm) on the 10-day injured list due to a right pronator strain. In corresponding moves, the team selected the contract of pitcher Erasmo Ramirez and transferred outfielder Ehire Adrianza (quadriceps) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Harvey has pitched well out of […]

Gregory Soto Records His Third Save On Thursday

Detroit Tigers closer Gregory Soto put the finishing touch on the team's 3-0 shutout of the New York Yankees on Thursday. He pitched the final 1 2/3 innings of the game and allowed one hit and no walks while striking out one. He earned his third save in as many opportunities. Soto has pitched a […]

Jorge Alcala Shut Down From Throwing

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Jorge Alcala (elbow) has been shut down from throwing in Boston because he felt something that didn't feel quite right in his arm. "We're going to let him reset to zero before we try to build him back up again," manager Rocco Baldelli said. Alcala made two relief appearances for the […]

Alex Cora Tests Positive For COVID-19

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora tested positive for COVID-19 and is not managing on Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays. Bench coach Will Venable will serve as the acting skipper for the BoSox on Thursday and will continue to do so over the weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays. Cora is fully vaccinated and […]

Garrett Whitlock Likely To Start Saturday

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said there's a good chance that right-hander Garrett Whitlock will start on Saturday on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays. Tanner Houck will likely pitch after left-hander Rich Hill on Sunday in the series finale. Whitlock has worked exclusively out of the bullpen as a reliever so far […]

Ryan Pressly Expected Back When First Eligible

Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly (knee) is progressing well from the right knee inflammation that sent him to the injured list on April 16. His move to the injured list was retroactive to April 14, and all indications from the Astros are that he should be able to return when first eligible on April 24. […]

Bullpen Report: Speculating on the Red Sox, Twins, Giants, and More

While many early-season trends in baseball can be dismissed as hot or cold starts, bullpens are the one thing you should always pay close attention to and get actionable information. So much of what makes relievers valuable in fantasy is the usage and opportunities they receive. This year, perhaps more than ever, there were more […]

Scott Barlow Records First Save

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Scott Barlow recorded his first save of the season during Wednesday's win over the Minnesota Twins. Josh Staumont has looked like the favorite for saves, but pitched in the eighth inning of this contest. Barlow took the ball in the ninth and allowed a hit, but escaped the inning without […]

Anthony Bender Continues To Struggle

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bender was tagged with the loss during Wednesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Starter Sandy Alcantara fired eight scoreless innings before Bender took over in the ninth. Sadly, Bender issued a walk before allowing a two-run home run to Nolan Arenado. Bender does have two saves on the season, […]

Jake McGee Notches Second Save

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Jake McGee was asked to close out Wednesday's game against the New York Mets. The veteran lefty has clearly lost some velocity, but continues to pitch well out of the bullpen. Thus far, McGee has allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings of work this season. He notched his second […]

Jorge Lopez Notches Second Save In Wednesday's Win

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jorge Lopez struck out three over 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the save in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Oakland Athletics. With runners on first and third, he entered the game in the eighth inning and struck out both batters he faced to preserve Baltimore's one-run lead. The 29-year-old tossed a […]

Corey Knebel Earns His Second Save On Wednesday

Philadelphia Phillies closer Corey Knebel earned his second save of the year on Wednesday as he closed out the team's 9-6 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. He retired each of the three batters he faced in the ninth inning, recording one strikeout along the way. The 30-year-old is now 2-for-2 in save opportunities […]

Paul Sewald Lands On COVID-19 Injured List

The Seattle Mariners have placed relief pitcher Paul Sewald on the COVID-19 injured list. Fellow relief pitcher Penn Murfee was called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move. No reason for Sewald's move to the COVID-19 injured list has been released by the team yet. The 31-year-old has been stellar over four appearances so far […]

Alex Cora Says Matt Barnes Will Be The Closer When Ready

On Wednesday, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora gave a few key updates on relief pitcher Matt Barnes (back). First, Cora said that Barnes is "getting close to himself." The reliever has been dealing with back stiffness and it has resulted in limited usage for him out of the gate this year, though he's avoided […]

Sean Doolittle Lands On Injured List With Elbow Sprain

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Sean Doolittle (elbow) has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left elbow sprain. The team made three additional moves on Wednesday, optioning outfielder Donovan Casey to Triple-A and recalling pitchers Sam Clay and Francisco Perez to fill the two vacated roster spots. There's no word yet on […]

Mark Melancon Effective Early In 2022

Arizona Diamondbacks closer Mark Melancon has enjoyed a productive start to the 2022 season. The veteran joined the Diamondbacks as a free agent this winter after spending last season with the division-rival San Diego Padres. So far, he's allowed just one run in his first four innings, striking out two batters in the process while […]

Trevor May Earns First Save Of Season Tuesday

New York Mets relief pitcher Trevor May picked up his first save of the season in Tuesday's Game 2 3-1 win over the Giants in the second game of a doubleheader. May came on to pitch the ninth inning up by two and tossed a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout to end the game. The […]

Aroldis Chapman Earns Second Save Of Season Tuesday

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman picked up his second save of the season in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Tigers. Chapman came on to pitch the ninth inning up by two and recorded a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout. The flame-thrower has now converted both of his save opportunities this season and has a […]

Josh Hader Records Another Scoreless Save Tuesday

Milwaukee Brewers closer Josh Hader continued his dominant season in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Pirates, notching his fifth save of the season. Hader came on to pitch the ninth inning up by three and pitched a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout to end the game. Hader was regarded as one of fantasy baseball's top […]